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Henry Smythe
Henry Smythe is one of the shrewdest businessmen in the Badlands. He is the sole owner, proprietor, and mastermind behind the Central Badlands Trading Co., whose central hub and offices are on the southern edge of Chamberlain, right on one of few bridges that still stand that cross the Missouri River, in what was a rest area along the I90. History Henry was born in Vermillion, into a very poor family (a rarity in the FSV). When he went to school, the teachers beat him repeatedly for his poor grammar, but all that did was instill a stubbornness to keep the accent he created. In the entire history of Vermillion, Henry is one of only 5 children who were FAILED before graduation. In the notes kept by the school Career Advisor, Henry was classified as "Brilliant, with horrible grammar, and a pentent for trade, but suffers from a major Napoleon complex, as well as a pathological liar." The CA's notes were not what got Smythe kicked out of Vermillion, though. What DID cause that was when Smythe brutally beat and almost killed a fellow classmate at the age of 17. When questioned, Smythe admitted to the crime, but gave the reason that the classmate had insulted his speech impediment, and then stole his lunch box. When the student belongings were searched, the SSS found the lunch box. Inside, underneath a bag of ladyfingers, were 300 caps and an assortment of goods that the school had deemed contraband. Neither the caps or the illegal items were the problem, though when compared to the loaded pistol. For the crime of carrying a concealed firearm in the school, as well as the possession of illegal narcotics, Henry was banished. The Tale of Henry Smythe At the age of 17, Henry Smythe was forced out of Vermillion. He tried to make a life for himself in the borderlands of the State, but quickly got forced away by the villages and thorps, after his crimes became publicized by the SSS. He eventually settled for a time on the western edge of Sioux Falls, where he set up shop selling whatever he got his hands on. After a time Henry ended up pissing off the wrong crowd, and had to flee west. Times were hard for Henry on his travel west. He ran into bandits east of Mitchell, and only survived because he tricked into attacking Mitchell. When he made it to Mitchell, Henry stayed a good long while. for 3 years he was in Mitchell, buying and selling supplies of various sorts. Then, one day, while Henry was at the local water hole, he heard talk of a large settlement of to the west, called Chamberlain, that was a major trade hub, due to its two intact bridges. Henry got real interested in Chamberlain then and set about forming a group of men to help him found a caravan company. With the aid of several fairly wealthy members of Mitchell, as well as a large amount of his own hard earned caps, the Central Badlands Trading Co. was formed. The initial company roster consisted of about 15 gunmen, 2 wagon drivers, and 4 Brahmin drivers for carrying supplies, as well as a trio of scouts. His Caravan set out for the rumored Trade Hub, and after a week of hard travel, they came to the outskirts of the ruined city. The rumors had been a bit liberal about the might of Chamberlain. The "trade hub" was actually single tiny store set on top of a bluff overlooking the river, and even that was the second rate. Henry Smythe wasn't about to let that stop him. He saw potential here, and so he Bought the store, and started renovating it, as well as doing repair work on several smaller buildings closer to the main Bridge. Everything was smooth sailing till the other inhabitants of Chamberland made themselves known. A fairly large group of raiders had set up camp in an old National Guard Post north of Henry's small settlement. Their first attack was fast and hard and cut Henry's security team down to 6 men. Henry decided that something needed to be done. So he went alone to where the scouts had determined the Raiders camp was and met with the leader of this clan of raiders. Trade enterprise Three hours later Henry Smythe's Central Badlands Trade Co.'s employee roster went from 15 to 45. The entire raider clan had decided to join his venture, and so Henry found himself with a new task" civilizing the savages... With the Armory of the National Guard Depot at his disposal as well as a larger labor pool, Henry was able to quickly turn Chamberland into a safe haven for travelers crossing the Misery Riva. Next was to establish trade links with the various settlements of the Badlands, with caravans sent east and west along the highway carrying spare arms and parts, advertising their presence at every town. Smythe's network would grow over the months, and in 2283 would personally lead a caravan west, traveling through Rapid City and trading with it's various factions, and arrived in Deadwood in April. The heavily armed and scarred caravan would Garner attention as they walked into town, especially when Smythe and his merchants started barking their wares. These newcomers would even gain the eye of the town's ruler, George Armstrong Custer II, who would invite Smythe for a private talk. Over a well presented dinner, Custer and Smythe would spar before working out an agreement, with the former receiving information and rumors on the ANA in Rapid City as well a promise not to sell to his enemies there, and in exchange he would grant Smythe a writ of trade. The trader would accept this, having secretly made a similar deal with the Regulators, and quickly exchanged the trade goods he brought for those in town. With this he cemented his western trade route, and would ride back to Chamberland in high spirits. His caravans to the east faced higher rates of raider attacks, but after deploying a large chunk of his guard force, combined with some strategic bribes would ease this trouble, and his wagons would manage to roll as far as Sioux Falls, where it did brisk business despite the distance. His success would not go unnoticed and in 2285 he was approached by an envoy of the Mobridge Merchants Guild, who invite him to join them. Hearing of the Guilds 'methods' of dealing with the competition, Smythe would agree, thereby gaining access to a new source of goods and convenient delivery system. His contribution from his profits would commonly be late or much smaller than anticipated, which he always blamed on pirates. He is currently managing his trade 'empire' as he refers to it, although he is always looking for a new way to profit. The continuence of the General's War is interesting him, but he hasn't quite put a plan together. Personality Henry Smythe is first and foremost a trader. His accent makes him sound somewhat uncultured, but once he realizes he has a sale on hand, the thick cockney accent he developed disappears, and the proper, clean speaking accent of a Vermillion citizen takes center stage. Henry can get a little violent, and won't tolerate theft, whether it is someone stealing from him, or someone trying to peddle stolen merchandise. Equipment Henry Smythe wears a brown suit with a green tie, a white shirt, and spats. On top of his head is his most well-known feature, a dark brown, well cared for, bowler hat. Henry carries a custom-made Colt SAA made by the Gun Packers of Deadwood, he also has a long, slim blade knife tucked into a back sheath. Category:Badlands